Detour in Bath
by ScarletCourt
Summary: A series of AU vignettes based on Dwight arriving in time at Killewarren and eloping with Caroline and living in Bath. Originally started for the Carolight Fic Week on Tumblr
1. Unhappiness

**AN:** Originally posted on Tumblr for Carolight Fic Week - Alternate Universe. This is just a small start for hopefully a multi-chapter/series fic.

Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine alone.

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. All Poldark characters belong to Winston Graham, Debbie Horsfield, Mammoth Screen, and BBC. I'm just playing with them.

 **Unhappiness**

"You're not happy here," said Caroline Enys, looking out at the rain outside, while she absentmindedly scratched Horace on his chin.

Dwight looked up from his desk where he was researching something from a book. "What do you mean?" he said distractedly. Hearing no reply, he looked up at her. Seeing her beautiful countenance, he smiled. "I am a happily married man, with a most distracting wife."

They had retired to the library after supper. Him at his desk and her by the fire before she moved to the window when thunder had been heard in the distance which had frightened Horace. They had eloped six months earlier and had already been well-situated in Bath at a small rented house, in the nicest neighbourhood they could afford.

Turning away from the window, she walked toward her husband and returned his smile. "You're happy to be married as you show me nightly." Her free hand caressing his shoulder while she stood behind him. "But I know you're not happy with your paid work."

She had been concerned about this since before the elopement. When they had arrived at Bath after their brief honeymoon at Exeter, he had been taking up temporary paid work with the help of his friend, Paul Hardwicke, while he waited to take over Dr. Marquis's practice to treat the wealthy. It was the only way to ensure that he could keep Caroline in a manner similar to what she was accustomed. In the intervening months, she had been noticing that he spoke most eagerly about the weekly clinic he ran in the poorer quarters of the city whereas he never spoke about his paying patients.

"As we agreed when we eloped, I must treat the wealthy in order to afford to treat the poor and to ensure we have all the creature comforts." He tried to brush it aside and return to his research, but his wife would have none of it.

Moving to sit on his lap, she pouted, "But you work daily sometimes late into the night. After which, you spend time researching ailments. Horace and I miss you greatly." Caroline figured she would try a different tact later.

Unable to fend off a pouting wife, Dwight first placed his quill down. Looking at her expressive eyes, he asked, "Have I left you all alone?"

His wife nodded dejectedly. "Indeed you have."

"Why don't I put word out that I will be unavailable on Friday and we take a tour of the area?" His hands caressed her cheek and he leaned in to kiss her. Pulling away slightly, he asked, "Where would you like to go, my dear?"

"I should like to visit Prior Park." Caroline ran her hand over Horace's head. "My uncle and I were guests of the previous owners when I was younger. The gardens are breathtaking. I understand that the present owners have opened it up to the public for a small fee. Perhaps Minnie can make us a picnic hamper." Minnie, short for Mrs. Miniver, was their cook and housekeeper.

"I'm certain that can be arranged." Dwight pulled her in for another kiss, his work long forgotten.

Horace took advantage of his mistress's preoccupation to jump off her lap and run to the kitchens. He knew where he wasn't wanted.

With Horace gone, Caroline shifted to put her arms about her husband's neck to deepen the kiss and they spent the remainder of their evening pleasantly engaged in activities which required as few words as necessary.

 **AN2:** Sorry this is so short. More fic to come but the follow up to this one might be a bit longer.


	2. Honeymooning in Exeter with Horace

**AN:** Originally posted on Tumblr for Carolight Fic Week - Carolight with Horace. Same AU as yesterday's ficlet.

Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine alone.

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. All Poldark characters belong to Winston Graham, Debbie Horsfield, Mammoth Screen, and BBC. I'm just playing with them.

 **Honeymooning in Exeter with Horace**

When Dwight woke up the morning following his wedding to Caroline, he saw her by the window looking out at the Exeter Quay holding Horace. She was in her forest green dressing gown, her hair loose upon her shoulders. She was a sight to behold. He could not help but smile at his fortune in being married to her.

They had successfully eloped two nights prior, married in Plymouth the previous day and journeyed to Exeter after a short "wedding breakfast". After Horace had been left with her footman, Jeffreys, they had spent the evening having a late, light supper downstairs before they spent their wedding night discovering more about one another than either had thought possible.

Dwight sat up and cleared his throat. "I see that I have been supplanted by Horace."

"Good morning husband," said Caroline cheerfully, while walking to his side to give him a kiss. The word husband still new upon her tongue.

"Good morning my dear," he replied after the kiss. "How is Horace this morning?"

She sat on the bed before responding. "He's doing well. He has been fed and has already had his morning constitutional. Jeffreys took him out bright and early."

"What time is it?" he asked, looking for his pocket watch.

"Your watch is on the chest of drawers." She pointed before scratching Horace on the chin. "I believe it is just after nine o'clock. I heard the church bells ring just before you awoke."

"So late already?" Dwight ran his hands through his hair. "Have you been up long?"

"Only about a quarter of an hour," she replied with a smile. "I'll let Lena know we'll be ready for breakfast in a half hour."

Just as she was about to leave, he caught her elbow and pulled her closer for another kiss. This one much longer than the last. When finally they pulled apart, he leaned his forehead to hers. "Perhaps we should satiate a different appetite, first?" he asked, breathlessly.

Caroline leaned in for another kiss and the lovers forgot about Horace until he started whining after being squashed between them, which broke them apart.

"Hold that thought," she said, with a guilty smile. "Let me tell Lena that we'll have our breakfast in an hour and leave Horace with her."

"One more kiss before you go?" her husband asked with a pleading look.

Unable to say no to the look, she smiled. "Very well." She then leaned in for a quick peck before heading out of the bedroom with the pug to discuss their morning plans with her maid.

Dwight took the opportunity to use the close stool and wash the sleep from his eyes behind the partition in their room. Just as he returned to bed after winding his watch, Caroline returned, pugless.

"Now where were we?"

* * *

After their very late breakfast, they walked about Exeter to take in the sites with Horace. They stopped at the Exeter Cathedral to admire the architecture and afterward let the pug loose in the Cathedral Green for some exercise. To ensure that the dog did not run off, Dwight had brought a small, round bean bag and they played a merry game of fetch in a small area of the park.

"It was very thoughtful of you to bring a small toy to entertain Horace," said Caroline, admiring the pair from a bench nearby. Dwight had been playing with her dog for about fifteen minutes by this point.

Looking over at his wife, Dwight smiled before throwing the bean bag again. "He can use the the exercise. There's not been many opportunities for him to move about with our days of travel and I doubt Jefferys takes him very far for his constitutionals."

"I'm certain you are correct." She returned her husband's smile. "Just look at how happy he is."

Horace, having retrieved the latest throw, was panting and wagging his tail, eager for the next one.

"Did I tell you I've had a response from Paul Hardwicke regarding the third house for let?" asked Dwight after he threw the ball out again.

"No," said Caroline, turning to look at her husband. "When did this happen?"

"I received a letter from him after we met in the woods the day we left." Taking Horace's latest offering, he threw the bean bag once more. "It's a four bedroom house, but in a better neighbourhood than the others and available for immediate occupancy."

"That's smaller than the others, but we wouldn't have to remain at the inn as long." She smiled to show her appreciation. "When shall we see it?"

"Paul requested an appointment for three o'clock a week tomorrow." He stood to stretch his legs a little.

"So we'll view three houses in two days." She adjusted her gloves.

Leaning down to take the bean bag from Horace. "If something suits, we could potentially move in as early as a week after arriving in Bath."

"What about furniture?" asked Caroline, moving her coat about. "We had agreed that we'd require at least a bed and several chairs to start."

"He didn't say," Dwight tried petting Horace but the pug would have none of it, so he threw the ball once more. "Well, if no whitewashing is required, we'd just have to find a bed and a few chairs and we can move in. Though it may not be up to your standards for the first several months, I'd rather not spend our money on lodgings if we have a house to furnish."

"I don't mind going without to begin," said Caroline. "As you know, I wasn't born an heiress."

Unhappy not to be able to keep his wife in the manner to which she was accustomed, he added quietly, "Still, I'd prefer being able to support my wife properly."

"And you will, I have no doubt," said Caroline cheerfully. "This will just be a period of adjustment. It will be our first grand adventure."

Grateful for her optimism, he grinned. "I don't deserve you."

Dwight played fetch with Horace for another ten minutes, before the dog was tired out. Handing the pug to his wife, he then lent her his elbow and took her to dinner.

 **AN2:** Hope that was enough Horace. :)


	3. Visit from the Poldarks in Bath

**AN:** For Carolight Fic Week - Carolight with their friends. Part of the Detour in Bath series.

Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine alone.

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. All Poldark characters belong to Winston Graham, Debbie Horsfield, Mammoth Screen, and BBC. I'm just playing with them.

 **Visit from the Poldarks in Bath**

A short letter from Ross arrived over the Christmas season thanking the Enyses for the anonymous loan Caroline had made the previous year.

 _Nampara, Cornwall_

 _Friday, December 20, 1793_

 _Dear Dwight and Caroline,_

 _I'm sending you both great tidings of the season. I hope you are both in good health._

 _I wish also to send my thanks to you both for the loan of £1400 from Caroline last  
_ _Christmas. Enclosed you will find the first quarterly payment of £280 in the form  
of a draft from Pascoe's bank from the proceeds of tin from Wheal Grace. For without  
the loan, the tin could not have been discovered. The remainder of the capital should  
also be forthcoming within a few months._

 _Do not consider that Mr. Harris Pascoe has broken your confidence in an offhand  
manner, Caroline, for it was I who pressed him into telling me. Indeed with this  
generosity, you have saved three people from the worst disaster that bankruptcy can  
bring. For that, I will spend the rest of my life in your debt._

 _I pray that you are both doing well in Bath and that you have a lovely Christmas._

 _Your indebted friend,_

 _Ross V. Poldark_

 _P.S. Demelza also sends her love._

When the Enyses read the letter together after supper one evening in all astonishment, Caroline confessed to Dwight that this investment was what had brought the quarterly interest payments from her own money so low this year and quipped that she was rather clever in finding an investment with a twenty percent return.

 _Bath, Somerset_

 _Saturday, December 28, 1793_

 _Dear Ross and Demelza,_

 _Dwight suggested that I replied to you since he had no inkling of the loan I made  
last Christmas and passes on his apologies on for speaking too freely of your business  
affairs to me at that time._

 _I accept your thanks and find myself wondering where else I could find a replacement  
investment at twenty percent per annum. Perhaps you have other trustworthy friends  
who could do the same once you have paid the remainder?_

 _Though travel in the winter can be treacherous, Dwight and I would like to extend an  
invitation to all of you for a fortnight in Bath for the final two weeks in February. Though  
our home is small, we would welcome you with open arms. Perhaps then Dwight could  
deign to tear himself from his patients for more than a day._

 _We hope that your family had a Happy Christmas and wish all of you a Happy New Year._

 _Your friend,_

 _Caroline Enys_

 _P.S. Dwight dearly misses his cornish friends and your visit would cheer him up  
immensely. While he has made professional friends in Bath, he has not yet found  
any great friends such as yourselves._

In due time an affirmative response was returned to the Enyses for a sennight visit in February for Demelza did not believe that she could be separated from Jeremy any longer and he was still much too young to travel so far.

In January, Caroline confessed to Dwight that she was feeling under the weather and asked whether he could diagnose her complaint. After teasing her that they had not eaten fish in months, he asked her to list her ailments. While she was going through her list, he suspected that she knew exactly what the complaint was and felt guilty that he had not put it all together before with his busy schedule. Once she was done, he apologized for not noticing before and asked her when they should expect the new addition to their family. Afterward, Caroline rolled her eyes and expressed how tedious it was to be married to a physician.

So at the end of January, Dwight was compelled to write another letter to the Poldarks to share their happy news and to emphasize that more than ever Caroline would greatly enjoy a visit from them.

 _Bath, Somerset_

 _Monday, January 27, 1784_

 _Dear Ross and Demelza,_

 _It is with great pleasure I am imparting the news that Caroline is expecting to be  
in confinement in the late summer. Since learning of her condition last week, she  
has spoke nothing but a desire to speak to Demelza regarding what is to be ex-  
pected in the coming months. Apparently, my extensive knowledge of the condition  
is entirely unhelpful in daily life._

 _So I must reiterate that you are doubly welcomed to visit in February though  
while she is my most important patient, she cannot be my only patient._

 _Also, earlier this month, Caroline had heard from her London aunt, Mrs. Pelham,  
that her uncle, Ray Penvenen, had been ill for much of the fall, but alas Mrs. Pelham  
did not go into much detail and Caroline is anxious to learn more. Also of note is  
that while Caroline has written to Killewarren immediately after learning of his i  
llness, she has yet to receive a reply. So if either of you are able obtain any in-  
formation for us, we would be most grateful._

 _We look forward greatly to your visit._

 _Your friend,_

 _Dwight Enys_

The Poldarks left Nampara on the morning of Wednesday, February 13 and did not reach Bath until three days later. Caroline greeted them when they arrived in time for dinner. Dwight did not return until after supper. Since the Poldarks are such great friends and no formality need be observed in their midst, he ate at his desk in the library while he spoke to his guests and port and brandy were served to the others.

"My sincere apologies for my tardiness," said Dwight, when they all sat down in the library. "I had told Caroline when I left this morning that I would return in time for supper, but just as I was about to close the clinic, a young girl was brought in with a broken leg which had to be set." Jefferys placed a plate of food and a glass of wine in front of Dwight.

"And this is the glorious life we lead here in Bath," said Caroline, absentmindedly stroking Horace's head, her condition artfully hidden in the flowing dress cinched higher on her torso. "When we are not entertaining, more often than not, I eat my meals with Horace as my sole dinner partner. Though I was finally able to convince Dwight last month to take in temporary work for only five days a week, so that we could spend one day in the week together."

"Do you not have your own practice here?" asked Ross.

"Not yet," said Dwight after he swallowed a bite of his meal. He suddenly realized that he had not stopped to eat dinner earlier and he was utterly famished. "A fellow physician in Bath, whom I consulted prior to our arrival suggested against starting my own but rather take temporary work until Dr. Marquis retires and I take over his."

"Unfortunately, Dr. Marquis appears have no plans to retire at any time in the near future," said Caroline, taking a sip of her port. "So Dwight continues with temporary work which takes him out at all hours."

"However, I did leave word that I was unavailable this upcoming week, so I expect to be able to spend the remainder of the week with you during your visit."

"Until he returns to his free clinic the day you leave," said Caroline.

"Tell us more about your clinic," asked Demelza, relaxed with her port.

Dwight quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin before replying. "For my own sanity, I started a clinic with another physician I met here in the poorer quarters of the city three months after we arrived. He takes patients on Saturdays and I see them on Sundays. It is as in Cornwall where the patients pay only in kind or what they can spare and any payment goes back into supplies used."

"Often, he will bring home a few eggs, a candle, on occasion a chicken and once even a bottle of gin on Sunday night." Caroline smiled at her husband. "What gifts did you bring home this evening?"

"A jar of fruit preserves, several potatoes, an apple and a block of cheese, I believe,"said Dwight before he took another bite.

"An admirable effort in a city such as Bath," said Ross after a sip of brandy. "Especially with so many people who are strangers."

After he swallowed another mouthful, Dwight said, "Regardless of where, there are always poor who are in greater need of attention."

"Do you also pay for the clinic and the supplies?" asked Demelza. "If so, then it is a larger enterprise."

"Dwight was able to convince a third physician to offer the location for free as he was too busy to otherwise contribute to the clinic," Caroline offered Horace a sweet meat. "And a fourth, the supplies they use."

"We're hoping to expand it further, but it may be difficult to find other physicians willing to take time off their own practices during the week." said Dwight in between mouthfuls.

"Speaking of physicians, how is Dr. Wright?" asked Caroline. Dr. Wright was the physician that Dwight had found to look after his patients once he eloped to Bath with Caroline. "He and Dwight have corresponded, but Dr. Wright have said little of his patients."

"He does his job well enough," offered Demelza. "Jeremy likes him. But most still talk of Dwight and his miracles."

"Was he not ill at some point?" asked Ross. "He does not look as hale and hearty as I would expect a physician to be."

"He was some months before he came to Cornwall," said Dwight after he swallowed a mouthful of wine. "He was looking for a change and my patients need not go back to the apothecaries and their potions."

"I did hear that he was called to Killewarren in the fall," said Ross. "Must be serious if Dr. Choake wasn't enough."

"Have you news of Uncle Ray?" asked Caroline anxiously. "Though I have written, I have not yet received a reply. I think perhaps he is still quite angry with me, with us. Though I left in secret, his health is still of great importance to me."

"When I saw Dr. Choake in Truro last month, he did say something about a fever, a wasting disease, or a tubercular infection." Ross offered. "Your uncle was apparently constantly thirsty for canary and had a voracious appetite though of little energy and his urine was unusually sweet."

Caroline looked to Dwight in concern.

"I cannot be certain what it is that he has until I have assessed him," said Dwight. "To which I doubt he will consent, but I have rarely found Dr. Choake to be correct. I will write to Dr. Wright tomorrow to see if he can share further information."

To change the subject, Caroline asked Demelza and Ross about their neighbours and the two couples discussed the people that they all new and the plans for the next day until the early hours of the night.

 **AN2:** i expect this one to become a multi-chapter fic, though I am unsure of when I would be able to add to it.


	4. Under the Weather

**A/N:** Originally posted on tumblr for Carolight Fic Week - Writer's Choice. Part of the Detour to Bath series.

Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine alone.

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. All Poldark characters belong to Winston Graham, Debbie Horsfield, Mammoth Screen, and BBC. I'm just playing with them.

 **Under the Weather**

When she first missed her courses, Caroline didn't think anything of it. It was true that she was recently married, but it happened occasionally prior to her marriage, so it was nothing new. She did notice that the bodice of her stays became tighter than usual, but she simply thought that happiness in marriage had simply meant that she had indulged more often than not. That her bosoms had been tender meant nothing. Nor the fact that she suddenly had trouble keeping her eyes open before supper. Even her constant need to use the close stool kept her in the dark. What finally clued her in was that she continuously felt nauseous from first thing in the morning until the early afternoon, her courses had not returned and the waist of her dresses had begun to shrink.

What was more strange was the fact that her husband, who normally noticed little details and showed his desire nightly, did not. From the earliest days of their acquaintance, Dwight would be the first to notice a sniffle or a scratch or any minor malady that she should exhibit. For him to share a bed and not notice all these symptoms when he was the only person to know her so intimately, simply meant one thing. He was working much too hard.

Since they had eloped in March and moved to Bath, Dwight had taken up temporary work while he waited for Dr. Marquis to retire. This often meant that he was taking calls at all hours. Add the fact that he and Dr. Mills now ran a weekend clinic in the poorer quarters of the city meant that he had little time for his wife. If he wasn't on a call, he was researching ailments that he had encountered. Often he would leave her in the middle of a meal or the middle of the night to tend to someone. It had become so bad that when they attended an event, she would become surprised when he rode home in the carriage with her.

This must stop since a child was now on the way and they were living comfortably, in fact banking away some funds monthly. Between his income from the two mines, his temporary work and the three percents on her £4400, they were banking away at least £5 monthly. Now that Ross Poldark had paid his first quarter interest and expected to repay the loan she made to him in full in the next few months, there was no reason for her husband to work so much.

She also knew he wasn't entirely happy living in Bath, working amongst the wealthy and she had addressed it with him several months ago and he now took a day off every so often. The question was how to approach it without directly pointing out his inattention because she would like Dwight to determine for himself that he should work less. Otherwise, he would try to work less to please her and somehow end up working more.

At first, she considered asking Ross to aid her in this endeavour. After all, he and his wife were planning to visit next month. But then she realized that she would need to share the news with Dwight's friend before Dwight himself knew and that was unfair. She then considered soliciting opinion from her friends in Bath, but she couldn't think of a way without divulging the news and her local friends did not deserve to know before her husband. She even asked Horace his advice, but he only wagged his tail at her.

Finally, she came upon the idea when she was talking to Dwight one night about how he diagnosed illnesses. Apparently, a physician listened to the patient catalog their symptoms and found a condition that matched the closest to the symptoms, since often patients did not exhibit every symptom only the majority. There upon Caroline started writing down her symptoms even the ones that have since disappeared.

After about a week, she was ready to bring it up and the perfect opportunity came the next day when Dwight was home researching ailments in the library rather than out on a call after supper. She waited for him to pause in his writing.

"I've been feeling under the weather of late," said Caroline, standing behind his chair, her hand on his shoulder.

"Indeed?" said Dwight without looking up. He added teasingly, "We haven't eaten fish in several months."

Looking straight at her husband, she stated, "I did not say I had a sore throat. Only that I was under the weather."

"Under the weather, you say." said Dwight, putting down his quill and looking up at her. Standing up, he motioned to the chair he had been sitting in, "Pray, sit. So I may examine you."

Caroline sat and he checked her forehead before finding her pulse on her wrist and pulling out his pocket watch.

"You seem to have a slightly elevated temperature but not a fever and your pulse while steady is slightly faster than normal," her husband intoned after a minute, replacing his watch in his pocket. Thinking some more, he asked, "What are your other symptoms?"

Caroline recited from her list. "I have a constant need to use the privy. I have had trouble staying awake after supper often napping in the afternoon. I've had a touch of nausea from when I wake in the mornings until the early afternoon. My bosoms have enlarged and were tender. My waistline is increasing and my courses have been absent."

As soon as his wife mentioned her bosoms, he knew her condition and when she ended her list about her missing courses, he knew that she was aware of what her condition was. That was when the guilt set in. It took all his effort to school his features in a clinical way. He then went down on one knee. "With the litany of symptoms, I must apologize profusely for not noticing earlier, my dear, but when should we expect to welcome the new addition to our family? Late summer I suspect?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "How tiresome it is to be married to a physician!"

His face breaking into a grin, he rose to his feet and he held out his hand for his wife. "Let us sit down on the sofa where we may discuss this happy news."

Caroline took his hand and they moved to sit down on the sofa. He put his arm about her shoulder and she nestled her head on his.

Caressing the hand in his, he asked quietly, "How long have you known?"

"About a week or so," she murmured.

"Are you still feeling tired?"

"A little less everyday."

"Would you like something for the nausea in the morning?"

"Yes, please."

"I'll ask Minnie to make some ginger tea in the mornings first thing. That should fight off most of it." He kissed her on her temple. "I'm sorry I can't give you anything stronger."

She nodded. It was lovely to be so tenderly tended.

"I'm sorry I've neglected you," said Dwight, who felt he was the luckiest of married men. "Perhaps I will put the word out that I will no longer be available one day of each week at least until the child is born." Also being a physician, he knew that pregnancy was one of the greatest dangers to a married woman. Though one didn't speak of it, the first child was always the most dangerous. There was a myriad of situations about which a woman who had safely delivered need not to be concerned. With that in mind, he wanted to spend more time with his wife before the birth.

"Had I known that it was so easy to have you work less," she said, with a smile. "I would have become with child sooner!"

"I should have been a much more attentive husband these last few months," he said, guilt lacing his voice. "You shouldn't have to catch my attention."

* * *

Later that night in bed, cuddling in the aftermath, Dwight gently placed his hand on her slightly swollen lower belly. "Hello, little one."

"You surely don't expect the babe to hear you, do you?" asked Caroline who had placed her hand on top of his.

"I don't know," her husband responded. "All I know is that when he or she is born, they can hear as well as you or I, so at some point, they develop hearing."

Turning to look at Dwight, she asked, "You are happy about this news, aren't you? Your enthusiasm has been largely absent."

Dwight smiled. "Of course I am." He moved his hand to caress her cheek.

Suddenly something dawned on her. "Have you been thinking about what could go wrong?"

"No-Yes-I'm a physician," he stammered trying to explain. "People don't call me until and unless something goes wrong."

"Well, you were here at the beginning and you will be here at the end," said Caroline, with new determination. "I trust that you will be here all the times in between. With that in mind, I presume that you will do your best in safely delivering your child into the world."

"I will," said Dwight. With more confidence, he added, "I most certainly will."

"Then I suggest you enjoy this time as much as I plan to do before we two become three."

"I shall." He then leaned in to kiss her.

After they separated, Caroline asked, "Perhaps you can begin by writing Ross and Demelza as they shall be arriving in under a month and I want to ask her questions about the upcoming months."

Looking puzzled, he asked, "Can you not ask me?"

"Do you know how to walk elegantly when I am eight months forward? Do you know how many pieces of clothing a baby will require? Do you know what's the best arrangement for a child and its parents if a mother chooses to nurse?"

Dwight closed his open mouth. "I shall indeed write to Ross and Demelza later this week."

She then leaned in to kiss him. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, my dear" Dwight then snuffed out the remaining candles by the bed and snuggled closer to his wife. Before long, they were both fast asleep.

 **A/N2:** Sorry this was a day late for fic week.


	5. The Weather Outside is Frightful - I

**A/N:** Written for the December Carolight Snow prompt on Tumblr.

Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine alone.

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. All Poldark characters belong to Winston Graham, Debbie Horsfield, Mammoth Screen, and BBC. I'm just playing with them.

 **The Weather Outside is Frightful - Part I - Snowball Fight**

Dwight was throwing a bean ball for Horace to fetch in the snow when he was hit on the side of his head with a snowball knocking his tricorn hat off his head. He whirled around to find his wife, in her teal hooded cloak, trying to hide her laughter. Feigning displeasure, he called out, "I'm going to get you back!"

Yesterday, they had been traveling to Tuffley Hall, outside of Gloucester, to celebrate Caroline's twenty-second birthday with her good friend from school, Lady Withern, when their journey had been halted by a snowstorm in the afternoon. When it eventually became impossible for their coachman to see much, he had pulled into the Magnolia Inn in Newport just before dusk. When they had awaken the following morning, the storm had been near its end, but the roads had remained impassable in the carriage. To give Horace some exercise, Dwight had taken him out after dinner for a game of fetch in the field beside the inn. They had been out for about twenty minutes when his wife pelted him.

Quickly picking up his hat, Dwight replaced it upon his head. He then grabbed some snow to form a snowball and threw it at his wife. "Take that!"

Caroline stood open mouthed in surprise for a moment when the snowball hit the front of her cloak. She had not expected her husband to retaliate with a snowball of his own. Horace raced to his mistress, barking merrily. She then gathered some snow into a ball and threw another one at Dwight. "Dodge that!" She shouted in his general direction before running off to avoid retaliation.

This time the snowball hit him on his coat by his hip. "You'll regret this, Mrs. Enys!" A mischievous look crossed his face before he picked up the bean ball from Horace and slipped it into his pocket. He then scooped up more snow, forming a ball, before he raced after her.

"Only if you catch me," she giggled, running toward the stable at the back of the inn.

"You can count on that!" He threw the snowball at her retreating figure, just hitting the bottom of the back of her cloak.

When Caroline entered the stable with Horace hard on her heel, she picked him up quickly, carried him into one of the empty stalls and crouched down to hide. "Shhhh, Horace," she whispered to quiet him down and then waited to listen to the sounds of her husband, her heart racing in the excitement.

Dwight entered the stables no more than ten seconds after Caroline with a gloved hand full of snow, but he could not discern where she was immediately. After his eyes adjusted to the darker environs, he moved quietly but purposefully into it, trying to determine where his wife could have hidden with the dog. A quick glance around and he could see that she must be hiding in one of the empty stalls, it was the only place large enough to hide them both. With five horses and twelve stalls, there were only seven to search.

"I know you're in here," said Dwight in a sing-song voice.

A horse snorted in one of the stalls. Caroline tried to make herself even smaller, willing her breathing into a much quieter pattern. Horace whined quietly, wanting to play more of the fetch game.

Dwight looked first at the set of stalls which contained three horses, none of which were theirs. Looking over the stall doors, he could see nothing but clean straw in the first one. The second one yielded clean straw and a straw fork; the third, an entirely clean stall. Turning around since the stalls faced one another, he considered and revised his strategy. He felt that it was likely that his wife was hidden in the stall next to a horse to hide any noises Horace made, or the one furthest from the horses to take him longer to find her.

The more Caroline thought of it, the less she liked her options, so she decided that if her husband did not go to her stall next, she would run back outside and so she prepared herself to bolt. Thinking in her head that if she put Horace down once they were outside that she could move faster, she loosened her grip on him.

In the end. Dwight decided to start looking at the furthest stall from their horses and proceeded in that direction.

Once Horace realized that he wasn't being held as tightly as before, he raced out of Caroline's arms and out of the stall. He wanted to resume the fetch game.

Dwight, surprised by Horace's appearance, started to turn toward the stall from where the pug came.

Once she no longer had a hold on the pug, she had no choice but to run herself and sprang forth out of the stall. "Catch me if you can!" Whereas the dog ran toward her husband, she turned the opposite direction to race outdoors once more.

Dwight followed in pursuit without a second thought for Horace.

The dog followed his master and mistress out of the stables, barking and running.

While Caroline had a small head start, her husband's longer strides caught up to her in short order. They both fell, laughing, in the snow, when she tried to elude his grip and became off balanced, bringing him down with her. "Got you!" Her husband held her by her waist.

When Dwight tried to rub her face with snow, she just managed to push his hand away, dropping some snow onto her neck causing her to squeal from the cold and wet. They rolled about the snow, laughing, giggling and squealing, for a good five minutes with Horace barking while he ran around them. Dwight was finally able to subdue his wife's flailing limbs, when he looked at her and started to laugh, which lead Caroline to giggle. This was the most fun he had had for a very long time. To avoid getting more wet, he sat up and helped her to sit up in the snow.

When Caroline sat up, she looked at her normally serious husband in a new light. It had been a long time since they had this much frivolous fun and she did not remember playing in the snow like that since she was a little girl. When they paused for a moment, Caroline on impulse leaned in and kissed him.

Dwight was momentarily surprised, before he pulled her closer and deepened it. How he loved her. When they finally pulled apart, he whispered, "Perhaps we should continue this in the comfort of our room before we're soaked through."

Caroline looked into his eyes, smiled and nodded, not daring just yet to speak. Even Horace's barking could not ruin this magical moment.

Standing up, Dwight held out a hand for his wife to take. When she placed her hand in his, he pulled her up and offered his elbow. Once steady, they started to walk back to the inn. Horace was still barking and jumping about wondering when he and the master were going to continue to play fetch. "Come, Horace. We're heading inside now."

Seeing that there was no more fetch to be played, Horace ran happily after them into the inn.

 **A/N2:** Hope you liked. There's more to come ...


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